'UPFRONT with Mike Gousha' recap for Feb. 17, 2013

--A top Republican and Democrat from the Legislature's budget-writing committee debated on the latest "UPFRONT" whether GOP budget limits in 2011-13 spending plan have helped the state economy.

“If you compare Wisconsin to other states, we are a heck of a lot better off because we didn’t kick the can down the road,” said Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, days in advance of Gov. Scott Walker's formal introduction of his second two-year budget plan. “We got control of our spending deficit and debt and now we are in a much better position to grow jobs.”

State Rep. Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee, also a member of the Joint Finance Committee, said Wisconsin is 42nd in the country in terms of job growth and dead last in the Midwest.

Darling responded that in order to grow jobs, the state first had to deal with a $3.6 billion deficit left by former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. “Spending won’t grow the jobs,” she said on the show, produced with help from WisPolitics.com.

Richards said he supports incentives for the middle class and he thinks this Walker budget will be better. “In the last budget it was kind of like a guy making $30,000 who got his pay cut to $20,000 and now we are kind of inching back up,” Richards said. “So when the governor invests that another thousand dollars into education, job training or health care, it is an increase but it is an increase from a huge drop last year.”

He's also skeptical about who will benefit under Walker's next budget, due to be delivered to the Republican-run Legislature on Wednesday.

“We are looking to… make sure it is focused on the middle class and not those on the high end who should be paying their fair share or the biggest corporations who should be paying their fair share,” Richards said.

Walker has talked about a middle-class income tax cut is saving on average about $200 per person annually. Darling was asked if she thought this money should be reinvested. The Joint Finance co-chair said she would rather see it in the hands of individuals:

“I favor giving money to our citizens to protect the taxpayers so we can grow the economy and jobs," Darling said. “We spend a lot of money. Would we like to spend more on education, of course, but we have to live within our means."

-- Also on the program was Oak Creek Police Lt. Brian Murphy, who survived the Sikh Temple shooting and was honored at last week's State of the Union address.

Murphy said he was worried he was going to be another face of gun violence. However, he said Obama honored him as a way of showing actions for the community.

“When the president of the United States, the highest office in this land, requests your company, whether you agree or don’t agree ... you're obligated, and you're honored to go, and you should go,” he said.

-- Gousha said voter turn out is expected to be low for the spring primary Tuesday, just like it has been for other court elections.